Six letters of Emperor Alexander II to Princess Catherine Dolgorukova, dated January-February 1868, will be auctioned today at the Central House of Artists in Moscow.

The letters are valued at 230,000-300,000 roubles (7,200-9500 USD).

The auction will also offer orders, medals and insignia of the Russian Empire, busts, portraits and photographs of the Russian Emperors and members of their families, as well as porcelain from the Imperial yacht Tsarevna.

Over the years I have often been asked about the fate of the Chesmenskiy - or Chesme - Palace in St. Petersburg. I am happy to report that the palace has survived, but the facade and interiors have been greatly altered over the past century.

Located in the south of St. Petersburg, just off Moskovskiy Prospekt, the Chesmenskiy Palace was built in the reign of Catherine the Great as a waypost for the Imperial court on the road to Tsarskoye Selo. The palace was designed by the court architect Yuri Felten and, like his design for the neighbouring Chesme Church, it shows the influence of the early gothic revival in England, and particularly Horace Walpole's Strawberry Hill villa in Twickenham.

A triangular building with three corner towers around a central turret, the palace was completed in 1777 and named in honour of a major naval victory at Chesme Bay (1770) during the Russo-Turkish War. The Round Hall in the central turret was used by the Empress to present the Order of St. George, the highest military honour of Russia, to commanders including Field-Marshals Kutuzov and Suvorov.

The palace retained its role until the 1830s, when it was turned into an almshouse for veterans wounded in the Napoleonic Wars. Not only were the battlements of the central turret removed, but architecturally unremarkable four-storey wings were added to each of the three corners of the palace to provide more space for accommodation.

Since the Second World War, the Chesmenskiy Palace has been home to part of the State University of Aerospace Instrumentation (formerly the Leningrad Institute of Aircraft Instrument-making).

The famous Chesme or Green-frog Dinner Service displayed in the Hermitage was commissioned especially for the palace by Catherine the Great from the Wedgwood potteries in Staffordshire, England.

The head of the House of Romanov, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna has arrived in the Republic of Ingushetia in Russia's North Caucasus for an official visit.

Ingush leader Yunus-bek Yevkurov greeted the guest at Magas airport and presented her with a bouquet of flowers.

Grand Duchess Maria, who is paying her first visit to Ingushetia, was also treated to traditional Ingush cakes and halva, an Interfax correspondent reported.

She held an official meeting with Yevkurov in Magas on Thursday evening.

"Speaking on behalf of the republic's multiethnic population and me personally, I would like to thank you for coming to Ingushetia. It is a great honor for us to welcome such a distinguished guest. Your visit is a very important historic event in the life of the Ingush people and Russia as a whole because our people have had very warm relations with the House of Romanov for a long time," Yevkurov said.

The Ingush people's courageous service to Russia can be proved by multiple historical facts, he said, adding that ethnic Ingush soldiers had fought in the Russo-Turkish War, the Russo-Japanese War and World War II.

"A vivid example of our endless loyalty to the Fatherland was the great feat of the Caucasus Indigenous Mounted Division at the frontline in Galicia during World War I under the command of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich," he said.

During her five-day visit to Ingushetia, the grand duchess will be able to gain an insight into the republic's history, culture and economy. She will also visit several educational institutions and meet with the republic's intelligentsia. The grand duchess said earlier that she would like to travel to Ingushetia's mountains, where Tkhaba-Yardy, one of Russia's oldest Christian churches, is located.

On 29 November, Christie’s in London will offer for sale the largest group of Russian books and manuscripts with noble provenance to come to auction in decades.

Included are a collection of 29 autograph postcards signed by the four daughters of Tsar Nicholas II: Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia (OTMA). The cards are addressed to Daria Petrovna Gesse, mostly with greetings on holidays and feast days, in Russian, most of them sent from Tsarskoye Selo, 1910-1918. The cards each measure c. 87 x 140mm, together in a modern blue half morocco slip-case. They are expected to sell for £15,000 - £20,000 ($23,970 - $31,960).

On November 6th, a meeting took place between Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Kirill and HIH Grand Duchess Maria Vladmirovna, Head of the Russian Imperial House. The meeting took place at the patriarchal residence in the Danilov Monastery in Moscow.

Also in attendance were the Chairman of the Synodal Department for the Cooperation of Church and Society, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin; Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, Abbot Philaret (Bulekov); and Director of HIH Chancellery, A.N. Zakatov.

His Holiness addressed his guests with words of welcome and spoke about National Unity Day. His Holiness said that the establishment of the festival in 2005 dedicated to the liberation of Moscow and all Russia from foreign invaders, is now widely celebrated across Russia. He went on to say that the event acquired a special significance this year noting the events towards the end of the Time of Troubles 400 years ago.

His Holiness further highlighted the role of the Church in Russian society, and the challenges faced by people of faith in the modern world.

In conclusion, HIH Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna presented Patriarch Kirill with the Order of Saint Andrew - the highest order of the Russian Imperial House. Expressing her gratitude to His Holiness, she said that the award "symbolized the close relationship shared between the Imperial family and the Russian Orthodox Church, of our oneness of mind, a joint understanding of the many challenges which face the Fatherland, and the many problems that exist in today's society."

New Exhibition Explores Persecutions of the Russian ChurchTopic: Exhibitions

Stalin orders the destruction of Christ the Saviour Cathedral, December 5th, 1931

A new exhibition Overcoming: The Russian Church and Soviet Power will be held from November 8 to December 9 in the State Central Museum of Modern History of Russia in Moscow.

The exposition is dedicated to the persecutions that the Church was subject to during the Soviet era.

According to the rector of Orthodox St. Tikhon University Archpriest Vladimir Vorobyov, within 20 years its historians have collected numerous evidences of confession and martyrdom, traced thousands of destinies, analyzed the history of the intra church disputes provoked by persecutors, and bright pages of fight of the atheistic state against the Orthodox Church.

According to the organizers, the main goal of the exhibition is “to display the history of spiritual resistance to godlessness and to learn the lessons taught by our martyrs to us”.

Almost one-third of Russians believe the Bolshevik revolution of 1917 jumpstarted the country’s development and opened a new page in its history, according to a poll published on Tuesday, RIA Novosti reports.

However, the share of respondents with a positive view of the revolution has declined over the past decade, from 34 to 27 percent, the All-Russia Center for the Study of Public Opinion on Social and Economic Issues (VTsIOM) poll said.

At the same time the share of the people who see the revolution as “a catastrophe for our country” has increased from 10 percent to 18 percent. About 43 percent of respondents said the root cause of the revolution was the miserable life of the people with 17 percent saying a weak government was a factor and 11 percent blaming the Bolsheviks’ “political unscrupulousness.”

Some 40 percent said the revolution, though a mixed blessing, was inevitable, while 37 percent believed the needless loss of human life and the trouble it caused meant there was no justification for it. Eighteen percent said they would observe Revolution Day on November 7, compared to 16 percent who said they would celebrate National Unity Day on November 4.

Presidential Library Presents New Collection on Time of TroublesTopic: Exhibitions

Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich

The Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library has prepared a new electronic collection covering one of the most significant events in Russian history – the overcoming of the Time of Troubles, ITAR-TASS reports.

At the turn of the 16th-17th centuries in Russia there was a strained domestic- and foreign-policy situation. Dynastic crisis caused by the death of the last representative of Rurik’s kin, famine brought on by a succession of lean years, peasant uprisings, the Polish-Swedish intervention – all this had led to a civil war, questioning the very existence of the Russian state. Only the union of extensive popular forces – urban population, military men, free peasantry – allowed to preserve the independence of the country, to restore the administrative and military system and overcome the Troubles.

The collection, devoted to the 400th anniversary of this historic milestone, included 250 various documents (sources, researches, evidences, fictions, art materials, etc.), reflecting the status of the Moscow state before and during the Troubles, the struggle of various political forces behind the throne and the popular movement against the invaders. Especially highlighted are political, social and religious figures of the troubled times, the Library said at its website.

The collection begins with sources on the history of the Time of Troubles, including “The acts of the reign of Tsar Vasily Shuisky,” “The acts of interregnum”, “The acts of suburban militias and Zemsky Sobor”, etc. Of great interest are the evidences of foreigners on the events in Russia in the late 16th – early 17th centuries. These historical sources allow us to estimate the perception of the Russian reality by the contemporary foreigners. The collection includes documents about the events in Russia on the eve of the Time of Troubles – reign of Tsar Feodor Ivanovich and murder of Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich in Uglich. One of the sections of the collection is devoted to the election of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov, the founder of a new dynasty, which ruled Russia for more than 300 years.

In the future the collection will become an integral part of the basic thematic collection “Russian People” which was presented to a wide user audience September 1, 2012, and some documents related to historical persons, will make part of the collection “Russia through personalities”.

"One of the great tragedies under Bolshevik and Soviet rule from 1917-1991 was the latters refusal to honour the millions of men who fought for Russia during the First World War" - Paul Gilbert, Royal Russia

Russian State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin, who heads the newly-created Russian historical society, suggests setting up an international committee that will make up a schedule of events devoted to the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI in 2014, ITAR-TASS reports.

Naryshkin told foreign historians whom he met late last week that projects of cooperation could be different. “First and foremost, they can be linked to historical dates in the life of Europe. One such date is centenary anniversary of the outbreak of WWI to be marked in two years from now. That war brought enormous suffering and devastation to the whole of Europe,” Naryshkin emphasized.

He said that World War One is often referred to in Russia as “the forgotten war” partly due to the fact that the October revolution that followed in 1917 overshadowed the events of WWI.

“Nevertheless, we understand the significance of WWI and the consequences it had on the life of Europe and the whole world,” Naryshkin emphasized. “I don’t rule out that possibly we should think of setting up an international direction and an international committee to prepare a plan of commemorations of this crucial cultural and historical event in the life of Russia.”

He added that Russia and Europe would celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII in 2015 and that offered new areas for cooperation between Russian and foreign historians.

The Last Russian Emperor: The Family and Court of Nicholas II at the Turn of the CenturyTopic: Exhibitions

On 26 October 2012 at the Hermitage-Vyborg Centre an exhibition was opened entitled The Last Russian Emperor: The Family and Court of Nicholas II at the Turn of the Century, which will present 285 items from the State Hermitage Museum collection, encapsulating the period from the 1870s to the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917. The exhibition is organised in chronological order and shows the life of Nicholas II and his family using materials, including memorial items from the collections at the Winter Palace, Anichkov Palace, Alexander Palace, the New Michael and the Yusupov palaces, and also items from private collections from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century.

A whole range of items will be on a museum display for the first time. These include tapestry portraits of Their Imperial Highnesses Nicholas Alexandrovich and Alexandra Fedorovna, and items from the wardrobes of the tsar’s children. Drawings by A.A. Parland and I.A. Charlemagne with details of the imperial coronation regalia and military scenes from the First World War will be on display for the first time. Considerable interest has been generated by recent acquisitions of the State Hermitage Museum comprising dinner services and exquisite accessories that emphasise the luxury of the Russian court: a silver vanity case with grey-blue enamel, decorated with sapphires set in gold, a cigarette case, and also figures of animals and insects executed by the leading jewellers at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries I.S. Britsyn, J.F. Olsonius and H. Vigstrom.

The exhibition opens with a section dedicated to period of Nicholas Alexandrovich’s life as Grand Prince going through to his accession to the throne. Portraits are displayed of his parents Alexander III and Maria Fedorovna, and also a series of drawings depicting ceremonial receptions of the emperor and empress at the German ambassador’s residence and a palace ball in the Nicholas Hall of the Winter Palace. Maria Fedorovna, who acted as an advisor to Nicholas II all her life following the death of her husband, lived at the Anichkov Palace and, maintaining her own court, took pleasure in attending all the official ceremonies. Cossack guard served as the bodyguard for the widowed empress - and accompanied her on all her journeys. At the exhibition it is possible to see the parade and regular uniforms of the Cossack guards made by À.À. Kudinov and T.K. Yaschik.

Items associated with the marriage ceremony and coronation of Nicholas II and Alexandra Fedorovna are of particular interest. The coronation celebrations lasted from 6 (18) to 26 May (6 June) 1896, and included balls, military parades, feasts and general festivities. Accordingly various souvenirs were produced: glasses, shot glasses, mugs, which were provided to all participants of the festivities. Among the gifts were handkerchiefs with images of Their Imperial Highnesses and state symbols made at the Prokhovskaya Trekhgornaya and the Danilovskaya textile factories.

The second section of the exhibition is dedicated to the private life of Nicholas II. The tsar spent much of his time with his family. Items from the wardrobes of the tsar’s children, their toys, including teddy bears and dolls, illustrate the modest lifestyle of the imperial family.

Religion played a significant role in the life of Nicholas II, Alexandra, their four daughters and son. This is demonstrated at the exhibition by a display of icons which includes the icon Saint Seraphim of Sarov. Seraphim was one of the most revered saints in the royal family, and the icon with his image hung in the emperor’s office. Nicholas II and his wife participated in the canonisation of St. Seraphim of Sarov in 1903.

The third section of the exhibition talks about diplomatic, military, court, religious and other ceremonies that were held. In 1903, the Winter Palace hosted a fancy dress ball, whose guests were to come in pre-Petrine era costumes. The emperor’s and empress’ costumes of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Maria Ilinichna were universally admired. The masquerade of 1903 was the most famous court festivity under Nicholas II and one of the few social events, attended by Empress Alexandra. In 1904, at her request the Costume Ball at the Winter Palace Album was published for charity, using photoengraving (a technique for deep printing) and phototype (a flat printing method). The exhibition shows the phototype printing and also the Romanov family in costume, as well as the striking beauty of the costumes of Duke Georgy Georgievich Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Countess Natalya Fyodorovna Karlova and others.

The final section of the exhibition is devoted the last years of the reign of Nicholas II, including two wars, three revolutions and the complete destruction of the imperial family. The events of the Russian-Japanese war and World War I are shown in the works of famous artists, N.A. Bogatov, G.I. Narbut and others. Wanting to raise the morale of the soldiers and officers, Nicholas II assumed the duties of Supreme Commander of the Russian army, and together with the heir, Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich went to the front. On display are banners, as well as military uniforms belonging to the emperor and his son. The exhibition concludes with photographs of the interiors of the imperial family’s private chambers, made after the storming of the Winter Palace in 1917.

For the Last Russian Emperor: The Family and Court of Nicholas II at the Turn of the Century exhibition an illustrated catalogue (Russian language only) has been prepared (St. Petersburg: Slaviya, 2012). The curator for the exhibition is Irina Mikhailovna Zakharova, a senior researcher for the Department of the History of Russian Culture at the State Hermitage Museum.